Norway: "Haaland is the best striker in the world," says Stale Solbakken

30.06.26 FT World Cup

Ivory Coast

1

:

Norway

2

On Tuesday, Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal for qualification against Ivory Coast (2-1) in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

Speaking to the press, Norway's head coach Stale Solbakken had high praise for Manchester City star Erling Haaland.

"I think he is the best striker in the world. He wasn’t very involved in the game, but you know as soon as he gets that chance... He had a big opportunity in the first half, and of course, he scored the winning goal again. It’s simply extraordinary, even for the national team. (...) Scoring 5 goals in 3 World Cup matches for a small country like Norway—I don’t think even he imagined he could do that before," the coach admitted.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

Related teams and leagues

Ivory Coast

Norway

World Cup